A small plane carrying an American family of four – Mario Lamar Sr., 80; Lili Lamar, 79; Sofi Sosa, 28; and Christian Sosa, 22 – went missing Monday after losing contact with air traffic control approximately 13 miles west of Andros Island, Bahamas. The PA-34 Piper aircraft departed Great Harbour Cay at 11:12 a.m. en route to Miami Executive Airport, with its last known contact at 11:04 a.m., according to Bahamian authorities and family statements. Mario Lamar, the pilot, has over 40 years of flying experience.
The Royal Bahamian Defense Force requested assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard at approximately 2 p.m. after receiving a report of a downed airplane. Bahamian police are coordinating search efforts, hampered initially by rough weather near Andros Island. FlightAware data indicates the aircraft’s speed fluctuated rapidly and its altitude dropped from 10,000 to 3,700 feet within three minutes before losing contact. The family had been vacationing at their home in Great Harbor Cay, Bahamas, over Labor Day weekend.
The family has requested that Bahamian officials and the U.S. Coast Guard deploy all available resources to locate the aircraft and its occupants. A niece of Mario and Lili Lamar, Silvia Larrieu, issued a video statement pleading for help with the search and rescue efforts. Both Sofia Sosa and her brother, Christian Sosa, recently graduated from Wake Forest University and Loyola Marymount University, respectively. The U.S. Coast Guard is assisting with the search using an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane. The current status of the search remains ongoing, with the location of the aircraft still unknown.
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